Nigeria There have been a total of 25,812 verified instances of diphtheria among the 42,642 potential cases documented throughout all 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, and within each of the country’s 350 local government areas.
Nevertheless, the verified cases span 184 Local Government Areas across 26 states.
As of March 9, 2025, the nation has reported 1,319 fatalities.
According to the most recent information acquired solely from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, this pertains to the disease status report covering weeks 19 of 2022 through week 10 of 2025 (up until March 9, 2025).
According to the data, Kano has 24,239 cases; Yobe with 5,330, Katsina with 4,237, Bauchi with 3,066, Borno with 3,058, Kaduna with 777, and Jigawa with 364 make up 96.3% of the suspected cases reported.
Out of the 42,642 suspected cases reported, 25,812 (60.5 percent) were confirmed instances (with 396 laboratory-confirmed, 166 epidemiologically-linked, and 25,200 classified as clinically compatible). Additionally, 7,769 (18.2 percent) were dismissed, 3,591 (8.4 percent) await categorization, and 5,470 (12.8 percent) remain unclassified.
The verified instances occurred throughout 184 Local Government Areas spanning 26 states. The highest numbers came from Kano with 18,108 cases, followed by Bauchi at 2,334, Yobe at 2,408, Katsina at 1,501, Borno at 1,161, Jigawa at 53, Plateau at 119, and Kaduna at 44, collectively making up 99.7% of all confirmed cases.
"Out of the confirmed cases, [16,234 (62.9 percent)] predominantly involved children between ages one and 14. Among the 25,812 confirmed instances, only 4,981 (19.3 percent) had received full vaccination with a diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccine. The report also noted that 1,319 fatalities (with a case fatality rate of 5.1 percent) occurred within the group of confirmed cases," the document stated partially.
The distribution of confirmed cases indicated that Kano topped the list with 18,108 cases; this was followed by Yobe with 2,408 cases; then came Bauchi with 2,334 cases; Katsina reported 1,501 cases; Borno had 1,139 cases; Plateau recorded 119 cases; Jigawa noted 53 cases; Kaduna documented 44 cases; Sokoto listed 31 cases; Zamfara registered 21 cases; and finally, the FCT had 15 cases.
Other states include: Lagos with eight, Gombe with seven, Edo with six, Adamawa with five, Nasarawa with three, Osun with three, Abia with two, Kebbi with two, Niger with two, Taraba with two, Cross River with one, Ekiti with one, Enugu with one, Imo with one, and Ogun with one.
The fatalities were documented in Kano (850); Katsina (114); Yobe (109); Bauchi (104); Borno (68); Plateau (29); Kaduna (11); Jigawa (7); Federal Capital Territory (FCT) (7); Lagos (6); Sokoto (5); Adamawa (4); Edo (2); Gombe (1); Nasarawa (1); Osun (1); and Ekiti (1).
The public health agency mentioned that they offered technical assistance and remote support to various states for identifying cases, reporting, and responding to outbreaks. This was particularly aimed at states that were not consistently reporting and those with lower disease burdens. Additionally, they worked on aligning data across different sectors including laboratories and case management units.
The center expressed concern that among the issues faced were extremely low test positivity rates since all cases reported in 2024 were diagnosed based on clinical correlation alone. Additionally, there was an insufficient supply of reagents and supplies needed to begin polymerase chain reactions directly with patient specimens.
Nonetheless, it emphasized its commitment to proceeding with the standardization and integration of case management data, as well as following up with various states. This includes collecting data through case managers stationed at specified treatment centers, providing both remote and onsite assistance, fostering cooperation, and overseeing the state-level diphtheria Risk Communication and Community Engagement initiatives.
The NCDC stated that engagement with social media platforms through comics and survivor interview videos will continue, along with ongoing whole-genome sequencing for verified cases.
The center also stated that it will keep refining the protocol for PCR analysis of clinical specimens and metagenomics. Additionally, they plan to enhance capabilities in diagnosing diphtheria through PCR conducted directly on clinical samples and provide support to testing facilities by supplying them with reagents and consumable items.
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